Self Published Book

 

When you feel the world is falling apart, the divorce is splitting your family and your life is turning in a way you never thought it would ever do, the best remedy is to be next to the ones who love you unconditionally. 

Asma and Aisha are proud to be Muslims and consider “Muslims in London are very straightforward, nice, upfront and very honest. They are who they are; they wear the scarf because they mean it. If they do not wear a scarf, it means they are not ready, at least their face value”. The problems after 9/11 have completely changed Muslims’ freedom; consequently they often become targets in the media. “People are pointing at us Muslims, our ties and our arms were punctured because of this.” But in spite of this issue, they stay strong and fight. 

In the Muslim culture, after the divorce, the father is the one who keeps the child. Asma and Aisha had the opportunity to fight against this law in order to keep their children. They live in a western culture, which had an influence over the decision. They mention: “If we had not divorced a few years ago, we would never have become the people we are today. We have learned how to be on our own feet. It was hard and challenging, but we loved to take this risk”. The family plays an important role in the Muslim world and “without the family support we get on the daily basis, we wouldn’t have been able to do this. We are five brothers and sisters, we consider ourselves to be fingers from the same hand. Together, we make a fist”.

The relationship between Asma and Aisha is very strong and unique from many points of view. They have gone through similar problems, especially since the divorce happened in the same period. They had to raise their children together, and they became each other’s partner, which helped them stay strong. Asma says, “If I were a boy I would have been her husband, we are like partners, we do nothing without consulting each other.” 

Their close relationship started with the story Asma carries every day: “There was a time in 2008 when I was very sick and unwell, due to a problem I had in my life. For a short term – about six days – I have lost my memory completely for an unknown and strange reason. During that time, my sister was living with her then husband in Dubai, and she had been there for about a year and a half. I felt like my right hand has been ripped away from me, but I still continued to live and do what I had to do. I was very alone, because Aisha was my soul, and I was her body. She was unhappy there, and I was unhappy here. I became very unwell, and suddenly I had this complete breakdown and lost my memory completely and had to be admitted to the hospital. I still remember, the doctor gave me a paper and a pen and said to draw everything I remember. It was only one thing I remembered. I drew a picture of a girl who was wearing boots and an umbrella. It was a young girl, and I could not understand who was in the picture. My dad pulled that photo and realized that this was a photo of Aisha when she was seven years old, and the rain was in central London. So, the only thing I remembered was my sister. After my sister heard the story, within 24 hours she was next to my bedside. This is probably the greatest story of all time for my sister and me. Everything can be erased, besides my sister’s memory. “

Honesty is the best policy and without it they would have never maintained their relationship. For the past month, they have worked together to reach a new goal in building a wellness club. This idea came up after the divorce when they lost weight. They are ambitious in everything they do, especially in the fashion shows and the charities they take part of. They love to help, because they believe that, at one point, it will all reverse towards them and make them happy too.